Aura was nine years old when she became an older sister, and she didn't like the idea one bit, mostly because it was the birth of her brother that made her miss her school's science fair…something she had been looking forward to since this was the first year she could compete. Her father tried to assure her, "don't worry, you're going to love him" but how could she love a vulnerable bundle of flesh that wasn't even remotely interesting? In fact, if her parents wanted another child so bad, why didn't they just ask her to make one? She did have a talent for robotic engineering after all. But no, they decided to go through the trouble of having a child by themselves (something she was still trying to figure out), and now she was stuck in a hospital waiting room with nothing to do. When her brother would be old enough, she was going to make sure he would be very grateful for taking the time out of her life to see him for the first time.

As if they're not going to bring him home after today…I could just see him whenever I want. Why is today so special? She sighed and kicked her feet back and forth on the chair. Soon, an unnamed nurse came into the room and signaled for her father and her to come into the delivery room. Her father quickly bolted up from his chair and took her tiny hand into his as they walked into the room where her mother and newborn brother were waiting. Aura regarded the situation as cautiously as she could. The room smelled of strong chemicals, and strange machines were hooked up to her mother. For some reason, she almost didn't feel comfortable walking into the room her mother just gave birth in. She let go of her father's hand and stood off to the side as he went over to his wife and kissed her on the lips, reaching a hand down to pat the little bundle of blankets on the head. At least that's what it looked like from her height.

"Aura." Her mother's voice beckoned her to come over.

Hesitantly, Aura complied and her father picked her up so she could get a better look at her brother. She normally would have yelled at her father and demand him to put her down because she was too big for that now, but the moment she locked eyes onto her baby brother's steel gray eyes, whatever she wanted to say was swallowed up and forgotten about in an instant. There was something…strange about him. She had seen babies before, with their bald almost alien-like features, and their piercing shrieks as they were in an unfamiliar environment, but he was nothing like them. His skin was a healthy pink, but the top of his head was already covered with a thick patch of dark black hair. More importantly, he wasn't crying at all, instead regarding her with an intense glare…or as intense a baby could manage anyways.

"Aura, this is Simon. He's your baby brother." Her mother whispered, her voice weak but happy, filled with a hint of pride at the new addition to their family. The baby- Simon- squirmed a bit in her grasp. "I think he wants you to hold him."

Does he want me to hold him, or does he want to kill me? Aura raised her eyebrow, but her father put her on the ground and instructed her to hold her arms out, so it wasn't like she had a say in the matter anyways. Most of her friends who became older siblings often complained about their newborn brother or sister hogging all the attention, obviously jealous that they weren't the center of their parents' world anymore. Some, on the other hand, were excited about their new role as the older one, and even felt responsible for their baby siblings' well-being themselves. Aura felt neither. Even a few hours after her brother was born, their parents still tried to include her in on the occasion. When she sat down to cradle him in her arms, she didn't really feel a sense of overprotectiveness either. Rather, she was more disinterested in him. Great, she had a brother. Life goes on.

Her parents were still observing her, and she wondered just what it was that they wanted. Maybe some cute, first ever sibling interaction? She stifled the urge to groan and tried to say as nicely as possible,

"Hi, Simon. I'm Aura. I'm your older sister."

Simon didn't even smile or cry at her voice. Instead, he just stared up at her, no curiosity or any interest in her for that matter. Well, at least the feeling was mutual. However, he still continued to glower up at her like he was trying to intimidate her with his three hour old self. She supposed that was kind of adorable.

"What do you think, Aura?" Her mother asked expectantly.

She shrugged. "He's…cute." For lack of a better word.

"Now, Aura." Her father began in a tone that Aura knew all too well. She was about to receive a lecture. "Simon is your little brother. As the older sister, you have a responsibility to look out for him and protect him until he gets older. If Mommy and Daddy are unavailable, then you will be the one in charge of him. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Father." She replied.

"Good. And…please be careful with him. He isn't a robot."

She knew that much at least though she supposed that meant no trying to attach robotic parts to him. Aura gazed down at her newborn brother again, only to be met with those same cold eyes on her.

"You're a strange one, aren't you?" She whispered, out of the earshot of her parents.

In response, Simon just made a small noise that almost sounded like, "Hmph."

"I'm sure you'll get along real well." Her mother followed up, a huge smile on her face at seeing them together.

Oh…they'd get along real well alright.